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Balloons travel mostly in silence, but it doesn’t have to be that way, Coming In The Air At Night. So Hold On. The nightlife mecca that is Hudson features a good dozen band choices for both loud and easy listening, dancing or DJ, singalong or solo, raucous rock and rolling or country strutting … Two entire eves then flowing into Sunday.

For Hot Air Affair weekend, there’s live entertainment everywhere across Hudson and other parts of The St. Croix Valley state-side on Feb. 3-5, so you can choose your genre for listening and dancing all weekend, with country and rock represented the most, but bolstered by piano, jazz, one-man band, deejay, karaoke … And it should be noted that the Bloody Mary contest goes on until day’s end on Sunday, and there are no limits to how many times you can “vote,” so maybe come back, more than once? And if the cold persists, there are even cocoa bombs at many of the venues, to accompany the mocktails, too. And along with them, the inclusion of shrimp and not small ones anyone?
But with that said, here’s how hot it is musically:
— Big Guys BBQ Road House: Live music with singer-focused crooning and more from Tony Williams on Friday from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., then rock and rolling out the Thick as Thieves (they feature thumping rock but won’t steal your drink or ever be Cumbersome except on purpose) on Saturday also from 9 pm to 12:30 a.m., and add tableside magician and kids’ breakfast specials on Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon.
— Dick’s Bar and Grill: Spicy mixing-it-up as far as new-tune-takes from the biggest booth in Hudson is deejay on Friday and Saturday starting at 10 p.m., and live one-man-band music with Jeff Loven who is the master of both the guitar and vocals of all genres and maybe even throw in some throwback accordien and contests on Sunday at 8 p.m.
— Hudson Bowling Center/Plaza Lounge on The Hill: Karaoke on Saturday starting at 9:30 p.m. with one of the biggest song lists in the area that carries sound around the bar-bend and over an intimate but very lively crowd.
— Nutty Squirrel in River Falls: Live music on Friday evening from the heart of the bar and eating of all types and dancing district at 10 p.m., and to change it up deejay and dancing on Saturday starting at 10:30 p.m. A few blocks north of the university.
— The Empourium just east of Hudson: Heavy arena-rock, young-gun styles are served with the live music of Them Pesky Kids (TPK) from 8 p.m. to midnight.
— Urban Olive and Vine: Tune in early and tone it down with still flavorful live music from the southwest corner with Jazz Savvy on Friday from 6-8:30 p.m. to ring in the torchlight parade, and from a newer kid in town Empire Night on Saturday during the same times.
— Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt: Live music from country that caters to the mainstream with local legend Blue Moon Drive on Friday (and maybe they’ll do Neon Moon just like the Tim Sigler band did at the Smilin’ Moose on Friday night) from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, and from Jazmin and the Gents so you know what to expect on vocals on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, and then back off with some bingo on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
— Ziggy’s downtown Hudson version: Piano Bar that’s both rocking and more reserved with Tim Grady on Friday and Saturday and Sunday so a total of 12 hours worth, to set the stage for upstairs with live music of the still-picking-up-speed Critical Mass band on Friday, and the even truer veterans of the regional rock scene Uncle Chunk on Saturday, with both starting at 9 p.m.

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